Otto Graham nominees shine on, off the field

Eighteen players from 19 high schools are in this year's running for the Otto Graham Football Achievement Award, which will be presented Wednesday night during ceremonies at GNB Voc-Tech.

Buddy Thomas

Eighteen players from 19 high schools are in this year's running for the Otto Graham Football Achievement Award, which will be presented Wednesday night during ceremonies at GNB Voc-Tech.

Mike Rapoza (New Bedford), Charlie McKeeman (Bishop Stang), Ryan Baldwin (Fairhaven), Mitch Loranger (Dartmouth), Wade Pinto (Apponequet), Anthony Abbott (Wareham), Timothy Manny (Old Colony) and Cory Ponte of the host school are players from area schools vying for the award, which is awarded annually to an outstanding senior football player. Old Rochester did not submit its nominee by the deadline and will not be represented.

The night will begin with a social hour at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6. The awards presentation will follow.

Here is a brief look at each of this year's nominees in alphabetical order by school.

The two-way end started at defensive end in his junior year and quickly became one of the top players at his position in the South Coast Conference. He battled his way through an injury-plagued senior season and, on offense, was a lead blocker in the team's potent running attack. A leader on and off the field, Pinto reached out to the younger players on the team and, away from the field, he volunteers his time with youth football groups.

He was the heart and soul of the Cougars for the past two seasons while playing the running back and linebacker positions. A two-year captain, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his first 10 games this season while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Defensively, he made 49 tackles, nine for losses, forced two fumbles and had an interception. Academically, he ranks 17th in a class of 117 and carries a GPA of 4.1. Brandon hopes to study nursing in college.

A three-year varsity starter, he was The Standard-Times' Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and, in addition to again ranking among the hardest hitters and leading tacklers at his linebacker position as a senior, he opened some eyes after switching to quarterback, in which he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and led the Spartans in touchdowns with 11. Academically, Charlie maintains a 3.29 GPA in college prep courses and has been recruited by every Div. 1 college in Massachusetts and many others in the northeast region.

The three-year starting linebacker averaged nearly 14 tackles a game and, after being switched from offensive guard to fullback, he provided key blocking in running situations and, in one game, carried the ball 16 times for 110 yards in a Bourne win. His coach, John McIntyre, calls Colin "the best linebacker I have had the privilege to coach in 15 years."

He led the team in tackles from his middle linebacker position, averaging six solo tackles a game, and carried for an average of 5 yards while running out of the fullback position. Academically, "Gators" — as his teammates call him — carries a high ranking both academically and technically, and the electrical technology shop student is currently exploring options to further his education.

He lettered all four years with the Cardinals and was the starting quarterback and safety the last three seasons. Taylor became the first player in school history to win the American Legion Post 303 Most Valuable Player Award three years in a row and, in the 2011 upset win over Somerset, he was named Most Valuable Player of the Thanksgiving Day Classic.

A three-year starter at a variety of positions, Dylan as been a three-year Eastern Athletic Conference All-Star and, this season, he moved to quarterback, in which he showed his versatility by running for six touchdowns and throwing for six more.

The 6-0, 215-pounder played fullback and inside linebacker, and excelled at both. On offense, he rushed for more than 800 yards and six touchdowns and, over his three-year varsity career, he topped the 2,000-yard rushing mark and scored 17 touchdowns. On defense, he led the team in tackles this season with 103 — 10 for losses while causing five fumbles — and, for his career, he had 185 tackles — 12 for losses — caused eight fumbles and had three interceptions. Academically, Mitch carries a 3.06 GPA and hopes to continue his education at UMass Amherst, UNH, James Madison, Stonehill or Bridgewater-State.

The three-year letter winner rushed for 900-plus yards this season and over 2,000 for his career. In the classroom, he ranks in the top 10 percent of his class and is a member of the school's electrical shop. Next year, Mike hopes to continue his education on a part-time basis while working with an electrical company in which he is currently employed as an apprentice.

The leader of a young and an inexperienced team, Raheem has been a model of consistency in a struggling program. Although he didn't start playing football until his freshman year, Raheem adapted quickly and approached each game and practice with the same level of enthusiasm. He was the Hilltoppers' most feared and consistent runner this season and never lost that consistency or enthusiasm through an 0-10 season.

One of the finest two-way players in the area, Ryan was a leading blocker from his guard position that helped key his team's prolific rushing attack and, on defense, he was awarded team player of the week honors six different times. In his three seasons with the varsity, Ryan started every game and was also the team's punter and kickoff man. The captain also excels in the classroom where he carries a GPA of 3.4. He will continue his education at Barry College, where he will go on a baseball scholarship.

He was a starting running back for three seasons, carrying the ball more than 260 times for over 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns. He added two more touchdowns in the final game of his high school career when the Bears beat Greater Lawrence Vocational in last week's Vocational Tournament Game. On defense, Cory played in the secondary and quickly established himself as one of the best two-way players in the South Coast Conference. Academically, he's a member of school's electrical program and ranks 127 in a class of 520 which puts him in the top 20 percent of his class. He hopes to play football on the college level.

A four-year defensive standout, Alex was the backbone of the Sachems defense, in which he made all the calls and most of the tackles. His statistics include: 127 tackles, 69 solo-58 assists — three forced fumbles, one recovery and four pass break-ups. In the classroom, he's a member of the National Honor Society and currently carries a GPA of 3.3. In addition to his own work, Alex serves as a tutor in math for students in the town's middle schools.

He's a complete player in every sense of the word, having played running back, wide receiver and quarterback on offense, safety and linebacker on defense and played the roles of kicker, punter and kick returner with the special teams. This season, he played quarterback for the entire season, completing 99 passes for 1,207 yards and 15 touchdowns. His 515 rushing yards ranked second in the running totals and he also converted four field goals and 17 extra points. Academically, he carries a 3.3 GPA and hopes to study in Business. Among his college choices are Villanova, Bentley and Holy Cross.

The three-year player returned from a concussion that forced him to miss the last two games of his sophomore year and, in his junior season, he broke the fibula bone in his right leg in the second game of the year. But instead of giving up, he worked long and hard at rehabilitating his leg and returned for the final two games that season. This season, despite lingering pain in his right leg, the captain played on, finishing with 43 solo tackles — which led the secondary — nine pass deflections and two interceptions. Offensively, he started at receiver where he was better known for his blocking although he did have six receptions, including one for a touchdown.

On defense, he ranked among the team leaders in tackles, sacks, forced fumbles and he had one pass interception while playing both the linebacker and safety positions. On offense, he led the team with 22 touchdowns while rushing 41 times for 1,531 yards, which averaged out to nearly 11 yards per carry.

The middle linebacker led his team in tackles and averaged 9.5 tackles over the last two seasons. He capped his high school career with 110 tackles this season while forcing two fumbles, recovering one and totaling six quarterback pressures. On offense, he moved from fullback to the guard position, in which he made all line calls and adjustments and, in his coach's words, "became our best offensive lineman."

The three-year defensive standout made his mark on offense this season as the Vikings' starting quarterback. In his second year under center, he threw five touchdown passes over a three-game span to get his team off to a 3-1 start and help set the stage for a South Coast Conference run. Although that run fell short, Anthony finished the season second to teammate Darien Fernandez (the area's leading scorer) with seven touchdowns and six touchdown passes, and clearly earned the title of team leader. In the classroom, he carries a GPA of 3.7 and is ranked 19th in a class of 143. He has drawn interest from several colleges including Holy Cross, Bentley, Stonehill and Amherst.

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